A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) employee has been arrested for allegedly accepting $1,000-$2,000 bribes to issue Texas Driver Licenses to illegal aliens who did not legally qualify for those licenses. She is accused of fraudulently inputting into the DPS computer system that the illegal aliens were born in the United States.
After an investigation conducted by the Texas Rangers, and Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio, Perez has been charged by a federal grand jury with one count of transfer of a false identification document, and four counts of use of an interstate wire facility in aid of unlawful activity. She is alleged to have illegally issued Texas Driver Licenses to illegal aliens.
Linda A. Perez was a public servant acting as a customer service representative in the DPS Driver License Division in San Antonio from January 1, 2012, to July 8, 2015. She was responsible for processing applications for Texas Driver Licenses. It is alleged in the indictment that she committed these offenses between November 2014 and May 2015.
As part of her job, Perez put information into the DPS computer system that was then transmitted by wire in interstate commerce in order to do a nationwide check for any disqualifications from other states. After processing, the license would then be sent to the applicant via the US Postal Service.
The former DPS employee has been charged with use of an interstate wire facility in aid of unlawful activity. Specifically, “knowingly transferring certain identification documents, authentication, features, or false identification documents to wit: Texas Driver Licenses (transported by mail), knowing that such documents were produced without lawful authority.”
Perez is represented by an attorney in the public defender’s office in San Antonio.
A search of the federal PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) system shows that pending counts include fraud with identification documents (transfer of false identification documents), and racketeering – bribery (use of interstate facility in aid of unlawful activity).
Perez has been released on a $30,000 bond.
No trial date has been scheduled.
Upon any conviction, Perez faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the transfer count, and up to five years in federal prison on each of the remaining counts.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and an associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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